Storms terrorize the South, killing 6 and injuring dozens

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Powerful storms swept across the South on Sunday after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least six people – including three children – injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town.

Nearly 90,000 customers were without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia as of midday Sunday, according to www.poweroutage.us as the severe weather left a trail of destruction.

Two children were killed on a back road in East Texas when a pine tree fell onto the car in which they were riding in a severe thunderstorm Saturday near Pollok, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southeast of Dallas.

The tree “flattened the car like a pancake,” said Capt. Alton Lenderman of the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office. The children, ages 8 and 3, were dead at the scene, although both parents, who were in the front seat, escaped injury, he said.

At least 25 people were taken to hospitals for treatment after a suspected tornado struck the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in East Texas during a Native American cultural event in Alto, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) southeast of Dallas, said Police Chief Jeremy Jackson. At least eight were critically hurt.

There was widespread damage in Alto, a town of about 1,200, and the school district canceled classes until its buildings can be inspected to ensure they are safe.

A tornado flattened much of the south side of the Central Texas town of Franklin, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences, said Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak. Franklin is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas.

The weather service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph (225.3 kph).

The tornado destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses, a duplex, and part of the local housing authority building, authorities said. Two people were hospitalized for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from their damaged dwellings.

Heavy rains and storms raked Mississippi into the night Saturday as the storms moved east.

A 95-year-old man died after a tree crashed onto his trailer in northeastern Mississippi, Monroe County Road Manager Sonny Clay said at a news conference, adding that a tornado had struck. Nineteen residents were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. A tornado was reported in the area 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, at the time.

National Weather Service meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries were reported there, but officials said several businesses and vehicles were damaged.

The storm damaged a roof of a hotel in New Albany, Mississippi, and Mississippi State University’s 21,000 students huddled in basements and hallways as a tornado came near the school’s campus in Starkville.

University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were toppled and minor damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus.

The large storm system also unleashed flash floods in Louisiana, where two deaths were reported.

Separately, one person died when a car was submerged in floodwaters in Calhoun, also near Monroe.

As the storm moved into Alabama, a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged mobile homes in Troy, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Montgomery.

A county employee died after being struck by a vehicle while he was helping clear away trees about 2:15 a.m. Sunday near the Birmingham suburb of Hueytown, said Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The man, whose name was not released, died after being taken to a hospital.

The forecast of severe weather forced officials at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, to begin the final round of the tournament early on Sunday in order to finish in midafternoon.